Western Reform Rabbis Oppose Teaching of Religion in Public Schools

The Western Association of Reform Rabbis today urged American Christians and Jews to “intensify programs of religious education in their churches and synagogues rather than to extend their energies to make the public schools an adjunct of the church and synagogue.” The association is composed of 75 rabbis who primarily serve congregations affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

The resolution credited the public schools with contributions to the development of moral and spiritual qualities in the people of America among all races and creeds but added a warning that school entrance into religious teaching might “seriously endanger the rights of all Americans to a personal choice” in religious beliefs.